Geek Trivia

If you’ve got a very good ear for the subtle nuances of voice acting, then you may find yourself trying to pick out voice actors across shows and genres. In such a pursuit you’re likely to run into the tiniest whisper of vocal similarity linking so many characters that it drives you crazy to think that one person was actually behind all those voices.

It turns out, in fact, that there is one voice behind many famous 20th century puppets and animation creations: Frank Oz. His uncanny knack for puppeteering and voice acting is not only behind Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, and Sam Eagle from the The Muppet Show (including related movies) and Grover, Cookie Monster, and Bert on Sesame Street, but also the voice of Jedi master Yoda in the Star Wars film franchise (voicing both the original 20th century puppet Yoda and the later 21st century CGI-rendered Yoda).

All told, Frank Oz is one of the most influential puppeteers and voice actors of the 20th century, second only in contributions to the genre behind the legendary Jim Henson: a figure who was Oz’s good friend, professional collaborator, and the very one who recommended him for the role of Yoda.